Jolie
Ducking under the desk, I know it’s a completely pointless move as soon as the lights flick on.
Crap!
My heart is in my throat now, and I bite my bottom lip, listening to the footsteps coming toward Kieran’s office door, then the soft intake of breath, the muttered curse… and the door slamming open.
“Who’s in here?” he growls.
I squeeze my eyes shut, gripping my key card and wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do.
“Hello?” Kieran’s voice is sharp and demanding. It’s obvious someone’s been through his office, and I quickly pop out from under his desk before he finds me.
I’d rather be standing and able to make a quick getaway.
He jolts to a stop the second he sees me, his eyes narrowing as he takes in his desk, then bulging when he sees the hard drive plugged into his computer. A flash of fear skitters over his expression before he pulls it into line and snarls at me. “What did you do?”
“You’re sick,” I whisper. “And you can’t get away with this!” Wrenching the hard drive out of his computer, I clutch it in my hand. “I’m taking this to the police!”
His breath hitches, and I see that fear in his eyes for just a moment before they darken. His jaw clenches, his gaze glittering dangerously as he moves toward his desk.
“Don’t come any closer!” I warn him, my voice pitching in panic. “You stay away from me.”
“Give me that hard drive.” His voice is soft, lethal… terrifying.
I shake my head, clasping it to my chest.
My heart is beating so fast I can barely see straight, but I will not give in. I’ve come this far, and I am taking this hard drive out the door with me.
“You can’t hurt us again.” I try to sound braver than I feel, but my voice is a shaky mess. “I won’t let you.”
“Jolie,” he growls. “You hand that over. Right now.”
The way he’s acting makes me think he doesn’t have any backup copies. Good!
Inching around the desk, I eye the door, trying to figure out a quick escape path.
“That’s stealing, you know? I could get you kicked out of this place.”
“Ha!” I scoff. “What you’ve done is way worse, and you’re not just getting kicked out of here, you’ll be going to prison!” I shout, flinching when he makes a move toward me.
I back right up, smacking into the wall behind me. Fear spikes hard and brutal, panic killing every logical brain cell as I spin around and unlatch the window.
You’re on the second floor. What the hell are you doing?
I can climb out onto the ledge or something, shimmy down a drainpipe.
Fall to the ground and break your neck.
My stomach jerks and I tremble as the driving rain splatters onto the windowsill. I don’t care. I have to get away from this guy.
“Jolie,” he growls, and I look over my shoulder and yelp when he advances on me with a speed I wasn’t expecting.
I try to pull myself onto that windowsill, but he snags my arm before I can get away, wrenching me back around to face him.
“Jolie!” a voice calls outside the window, and we both go still.
Is that Ben?
“Jolie!” he shouts again, and I strain to turn back so I can see through the glass.
“Get back here,” Kieran snarls, yanking on my arm and dragging me away.
I scream and start to shout, “Ben? Ben! Help! Help me!”
“Jolie!” My boyfriend’s voice rises with urgency, but I have no time to respond.
“Shut the fuck up.” Kieran slaps a hand over my mouth, squeezing so hard my teeth start to cut into my cheeks.
My cry of pain is muffled behind his hand before he throws me against the desk.
My thigh crashes into the unforgiving edge, my hand slapping onto the stapler.
Shock works through my body, and when I glance over to see him stalking toward me, the look on his face says only one thing: “I’m going to kill you for this. ”
A terrified scream rises out of my throat and I scramble for the door, but he pushes me over.
I tumble to the ground, landing on my knees.
Fresh pain rockets through me, but I desperately try to ignore it, crawling toward the open door—a feeble attempt at escape, which fails the second he snatches my ankle, roughly dragging me back toward him.